Chapter 56: Consort Xiao is Pregnant

"Oh dear, how could this be? Could it... could it be that this wine is truly poisoned?"

The women gasped in alarm, hurriedly peering into their own wine cups, terrified that if they finished drinking, they would meet the same fate as Chang Yuniang.

Thrown into a panic by this sudden turn of events, everyone was at a loss and could only turn their gazes to Ning Junruo for help.

"Please do not worry, everyone. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this wine."

Ning Junruo frowned slightly, quickly stood up, and walked over to a panic-stricken woman. She picked up the wine from the woman's cup and drank it down in one gulp. "I am willing to stake my life to guarantee it."

After finishing the wine, she instructed her attending maid to assist Chang Yuniang.

"Quickly help Lady Chang to the inner chamber to rest, and summon the estate's physician to examine and treat her." Her resonant and firm voice instantly subdued the chaos in the hall.

The maid respectfully acknowledged the order and gently supported Chang Yuniang as she slowly departed, each step appearing exceptionally labored.

Witnessing Chang Yuniang's barely concealed agony, Xiao Yunji couldn't help but let a barely perceptible, cold sneer trace the corner of her lips, as if mocking her in silence.

Didn't you always love showing off and standing out?

Well, you've certainly stood out to your heart's content this time.

Truly, the wheel of karma turns, and retribution is swift and sure!

Chen Qinghe seated herself right beside Ning Junruo's right. As soon as Ning Junruo sat down, Chen Qinghe impatiently leaned in and whispered, "Could it be... that someone tampered with Chang Yuniang's wine?"

Her gaze was deep, revealing a trace of unperceived anxiety.

Ning Junruo gently shook her head, sighed, and said warmly, "This matter still requires a thorough investigation. We must not jump to conclusions or make wild guesses, lest it disrupt little Qing's full-month celebration banquet."

"The Princess Consort is entirely right. Lady Chang may not be poisoned at all; she has just completed her month of postpartum confinement and is simply exhausted. Perhaps a good rest will set her right. Everyone must refrain from idle speculation."

Consort Dowager Xu's words carried an irrefutable dignity. She then turned her head to issue an order to the maid beside her: "Go to the kitchens immediately, carefully inspect the source of all the wine, and ensure without a doubt that everything is in order."

Even so, the murmurs among the guests rose and fell in waves.

All sorts of conjectures and unease permeated the air.

"Lady Chang has always treated others warmly and never puts on airs. Why would she suddenly become like this? It truly moves one to pity!"

"Who can blame her? She gave birth to a son, and in a great aristocratic household like this, alas..."

"Indeed, when one thinks of the rumors floating about outside, the Princess Consort also has it far from easy."

Just as the discussions among the crowd grew boisterous, a flustered elderly servant hurried over.

She bowed and reported, "Reporting to the Consort Dowager and the Princess Consort, the kitchens have been thoroughly inspected. No abnormalities were found in any of the wine, and the food prepared for the male guests is likewise completely safe."

The tightly furrowed brows of Consort Dowager Xu finally relaxed.

"You have all heard it. The wine is entirely safe. Please continue to enjoy yourselves with peace of mind."

Chen Longyue sat beside Chen Qinghe. Ever since Xu Mingyi's poetry began to circulate, she had been filled with curiosity about the mistress of the Prince of Liang's estate.

The more she observed, the deeper her confusion grew.

While the Princess Consort of Liang was indeed dignified and beautiful, she was vastly different from the peerless beauty with face that puts flowers to shame and moon to hide, as depicted in Young Master Xu's brushwork.

Seeing that the Consort Dowager and the Princess Consort had picked up their chopsticks and resumed eating, the guests finally felt at ease and continued with the banquet.

As the banquet concluded and the guests gradually dispersed, the estate physician's diagnosis was finally delivered.

The female guests in the inner courtyard hurried to follow the Consort Dowager to inquire about the situation.

Chang Yuniang's legs were indeed afflicted, and upon learning that she might never be able to stand again, her heart plummeted into a despairing abyss.

The estate physician and other doctors examined her repeatedly, yet could only shake their heads. The symptoms of severe cold invading her body were glaringly obvious, yet there was not the slightest sign of poisoning.

Their brows were tightly locked, and their eyes revealed an unprecedented perplexity and unease.

"Perhaps the lady's constitution has harbored a hidden ailment since childhood, and failing to receive proper recuperation following childbirth, the root of the illness has now taken hold."

Though spoken in a soft whisper, the estate physician's conjecture fell upon Chang Yuniang's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Chang Yuniang's tears rolled down like broken pearls. She tightly gripped Zhao Shenxing's lapels, her tear-filled eyes brimming with desperate pleading.

"My constitution has always been fine; I have never harbored any hidden ailments. Someone must have gone to ruthless lengths to poison me in order to snatch Qing'er away! I beg the Prince to uphold justice for me!"

The Princess Consort had entered the estate five years without producing an heir, and now her estrangement from the Prince was growing daily. Within this deep, walled courtyard, who desired a child the most to solidify their position?

The answer seemed self-evident.

Hearing this, everyone felt a chill run through their hearts. The Princess Consort, usually so uncontending and unassuming, actually harbored such profound scheming.

Silently and without a trace, she had managed to paralyze Chang Yuniang's legs—it was truly bone-chilling.

Zhao Shenxing wore a heavy expression. While soothing the emotionally agitated Chang Yuniang, he turned his complex gaze toward Ning Junruo.

Ning Junruo still wore a serene smile, her tone calm yet resolute: "This matter truly needs to be investigated to the bottom, lest people indulge in wild speculations and imagine that everyone in the Prince's estate is eyeing little Qing'er with covetous hostility."

Chang Yuniang's already fragile heart was shattered by these words, and she burst into tearful accusations.

"Does the Princess Consort think I am merely suspecting without cause? I trusted you so completely, and only now do I realize why the Princess Consort insisted on personally guarding my side until Qing'er was born. It turns out the Princess Consort was plotting all along—waiting for me to fall so she could seize Qing'er as her own and thereby solidify her position as the Princess Consort of Liang..."

Her body had always been robust; how could she have suffered such a sudden calamity?

Chang Yuniang had already figured it out in her heart: if there truly was a mastermind behind the scenes, the greatest beneficiary was undoubtedly none other than the Princess Consort of Liang!

The Princess Consort usually never contended for anything, whereas Chang Yuniang herself was ambitious and constantly went toe-to-toe with the Princess Consort, harboring a strong intent to supplant her.

Once these words were spoken, the onlookers suddenly felt they made a great deal of sense. Could it be that all of this was truly meticulously planned by the Princess Consort?

Just as the female guests were whispering among themselves, a sudden bout of retching broke the tense atmosphere in the room.

"My Lady, what is wrong with you?"

Before anyone could react, Cherry let out a cry of alarm.

Following the sound, everyone looked over to see Xiao Yunji covering her mouth with one hand while tightly grasping a silk handkerchief in the other. Her face pale, she retched, while her maid Qinglu anxiously patted her back, attempting to ease her discomfort.

"What is wrong with the Consort?"

"Good heavens, could she have been poisoned too?"

Murmurs arose from all directions. Consort Dowager Xu was even more consumed with worry and hurried forward to ask, "Yunji, what is the matter with you..."

Xiao Yunji coughed lightly, her cheeks slightly flushed, and whispered with shyness and a hint of joy, "Mother, my monthly flow has been delayed by more than half a month..."

At these words, the room fell into absolute silence, as if even the air had frozen.

Could it be that Consort Xiao was pregnant?

The few out-of-favor wives, who had moments before been gloating with schadenfreude, saw their expressions instantly change drastically. Beside them, Chen Qinghe's hands, hidden beneath her sleeves, were now clenched tightly into fists.